Current Actions

March is National Women’s History month. Throughout the next few weeks, organizations and institutions across the country will be honoring incredible women who have shaped society throughout the years – NOW being no exception.

This March, NOW will celebrate Women’s History Month and honor our foremothers by refusing to stand by while politicians strip away the rights we have worked so hard to secure. We are SICK and TIRED of protesting this sh*t! Are you?

With right wing extremists in control of both houses of Congress, we have already seen stepped-up attacks on abortion and birth control. Conservatives are bent on blocking insurance coverage of abortion and birth control, passing a 20-week abortion ban in clear violation of Roe v. Wade, and defunding family planning clinics that serve millions of women. But with your help, we can stop them.

Send emails to your representative and your senators and tell them to co-sponsor the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R.448 / S.217), which would prohibit states from singling out abortion clinics for abusive, medically unnecessary regulation.

With right wing extremists poised to control both houses of Congress, we know stepped-up attacks on abortion and birth control are coming our way. Conservatives are bent on blocking insurance coverage of birth control, passing a 20-week abortion ban in clear violation of Roe v. Wade, and defunding family planning clinics that serve millions of women. But with your help, we can stop them.

President Obama called on the Department of Labor to require federal contractors to collect pay information broken down by race, gender, and ethnicity. Submit a comment today about why equal pay is important and in support of the new rule!

The 2014 mid term election may be over, but our job isn’t done. Now, more than ever, it is vital that women’s rights supporters stay active and continue to push elected officials to make effective, positive change for all women!

I understand that the outcome of the 2014 midterm elections will have an enormous impact on women's rights and lives -- and that another loss like we suffered in the 2010 midterm elections would be catastrophic for women’s reproductive freedom, safety and financial security.

The Emergency Contraception Access and Education Act requires hospitals that receive federal funds (including Medicare and Medicaid) to provide medically accurate information about emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault and ensures that every victim has access to emergency contraception without having to worry about the cost. It also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and distribute the most current, evidence-based standards of care regarding emergency contraception. Ask you senator to become a cosponsor, today!

This campaign is a collaboration between RH Reality Check and the National Organization for Women.

In light of recent events, it is crucial that the National Football League (NFL) take its violence against women problem seriously. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has held this position since 2006, has repeatedly shown that he is unwilling to effectively deal with the issue. Therefore, it is time for Goodell to go!

The FCC’s current attempt to eviscerate Net neutrality is a direct threat to our work and could have disastrous consequences for women. With the public comment deadline on September 15th -- and a final decision from Chairman Wheeler and the FCC soon after that – now is the time for urgent action. Tell the FCC that you support Net neutrality!

It's time for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act! This act will require employers to prove that pay disparities result from factors other than gender, prohibit retaliation against employees who ask about wage practices or disclose their own pay, and strengthen penalties for equal pay violations.

I understand that the outcome of the 2014 midterm elections will have an enormous impact on women's rights and lives -- and that another loss like we suffered in the 2010 midterm elections would be catastrophic for women’s reproductive freedom, safety and financial security.

This year's midterm elections are vital for women's rights. NOW is dedicated to preventing a right-wing takeover of the U.S. Senate. We can't afford another debacle like the 2010 midterms when Tea Party extremists took control of the House and numerous state legislatures.

Your vote is your voice - and every voice matters. Pledge to vote on November 4!

Representative Nita Lowey has introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Social Security Caregiver Credit Act (H.R. 5024), dedicated to providing benefits to those who take time out of the workforce to care for loved ones. Urge your representative to become a cosponsor of this important bill!

Now that the conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have joined the War on Women, it is more important than ever that women’s rights supporter take a stand. Take action and ask President Barack Obama to issue an executive order protecting access to reproductive healthcare for employees of federal contractors!

One hundred entities believe that they shouldn’t have to follow the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act. Stand with NOW and tell them that it is not acceptable for employers to impose their personal beliefs on their employees.

The Washington Post recently published an opinion piece by George Will that makes incorrect and ignorant claims about survivors of sexual assault, perpetuates rape culture and opposes efforts to combat sexual violence on college campuses.

Anti-abortion terrorists have murdered seven people since 1993. They've committed at least 200 arsons and bombings since the mid-1970s. They've plagued clinics with anthrax threats and butyric acid attacks. The very real threat of shootings, arsons, bombings, and chemical attacks hangs over the decision to enter an abortion clinic for both patients and employees.

Clinics should not have to wait until terrorists strike to have access to basic protections like buffer zones. Clinic violence is almost inevitable, but the Supreme Court's decision in McCullen v Coakley strips abortion providers of the ability to take preemptive measures to protect themselves and their patients.

Thanks to Senator Patrick Leahy, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved legislation that will provide funding for victim relief programs authorized through the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and the Justice for All Reauthorization Act. Thank Sen. Leahy for his determination to combat sexual assault and violence against women.

One hundred entities have filed lawsuits against the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act. Stand with NOW and tell them it is not acceptable for employers to impose their personal beliefs on their employees.

Attacks on reproductive rights are coming from every direction. State after state has passed legislation targeting abortion providers and making it hard for women to access the full range of reproductive healthcare. Even birth control is under attack!

Tell your Congressperson that we need legislation that supports women’s rights and lives!

Voting restrictions aimed at communities of color disproportionately impact women in those communities. Extremists have passed voter suppression laws in numerous states, and they are airing misleading campaign ads designed to confuse voters and discourage them from going to the polls. A democracy can't function this way. Your governor needs to hear from you today!

It's time for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act! This act will require employers to prove that pay disparities result from factors other than gender, prohibit retaliation against employees who ask about wage practices or disclose their own pay, and strengthen penalties for equal pay violations.

In the fight for equality, there is no silver bullet; sexism cannot be solved without also eliminating the other forms of oppression. The intersectionality of oppression is why we need your support of all of our core issues--reproductive rights, economic justice, ending violence against women, ending racism, constitutional equality, and LGBT rights --and why our advocacy is so far-reaching.

On March 25th, we’ll be at the Supreme Court taking a stand against one hundred entities -- The Dirty 100 -- looking to impose their personal religious beliefs on their employees. These one hundred anti-woman bussinesses, religious entities, and nonprofits have come out of the woodwork and sued to block the contaception mandate in the Affordable Care Act.

We’re organizing a banner to display outside the Supreme Court to make sure all our voices are heard. Sign your name next to ours!

One hundred entities have filed lawsuits against the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act. Stand with NOW and tell them it is not acceptable for employers to impose their personal beliefs on their employees.

First adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women has been ratified by 187 countries -- but not the United States. Today, the U.S. lags behind other countries on various measures of equality, including women’s political engagement, economic security, and freedom from sexual assault and domestic violence.

NOW is committed to achieving full civil and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgener people, including equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.

That’s why we’re collecting signatures for full marriage equality. It's time to tell your representatives that loving, committed same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as their heterosexual counterparts.

It’s an embarrassment. The United States stands nearly alone -- joined only by Iran, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and the Pacific Island nations of Palau and Tonga -- in failing to ratify CEDAW, the international women’s rights treaty.

Though women only make up 15 percent of the military, 47 percent of military sexual assault victims are female. Over one-third of female veterans have survived at least two assaults. Shockingly, by the military's own estimate, of the 26,000 sexual assaults committed in 2012, only 3,374 were reported and 302 were actually prosecuted. We must do all we can to root out sexual assault, and the rape culture that enables it, from the U.S. military.

One in five women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime; one in four women experience intimate partner violence. Since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1996, rates of intimate partner violence have steadily declined; however VAWA programs have never been fully funded. Budget cuts in the past few years have been truly devastating; it is estimated that over 100,000 fewer victims are receiving life-saving services.

TAKE ACTION: Urge the Senate to pass S. 1752, the Military Justice Improvement Act. Your email message could make the critical difference. Seven more senators are needed to meet the 60 vote threshold to overcome a filibuster challenge.

TAKE ACTION: Urge the Senate to pass S. 1752, the Military Justice Improvement Act. Your email message could make the critical difference. Seven more senators are needed to meet the 60 vote threshold to overcome a filibuster challenge.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.7, a bill that could potentially eliminate abortion coverage in the private and public insurance markets. This is a direct attack on women's access to abortion care. We will stop this bill in the Senate.

Find out how your representative voted and then tell her or him what you think.

Did they vote no? That’s great! Please email them a thank you email.

Did they vote yes? Remind your representative that women won’t stand for these restrictions on our rights!

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) bill, the Military Justice Improvement Act (S. 967), that would establish an independent, objective and unbiased military justice system to better respond to the epidemic of sexual assault in the U.S. military will soon come to a floor vote in the Senate. Military leaders have been claiming since 1992 that there will be “zero tolerance” of sexual assault, yet there were 26,000 incidents of sexual assault and unwanted sexual touching that were reported in FY 2012. It is clear that the current system of military “justice” does not work and must be changed.

Our major allies, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and Israel along with many other nations, years ago moved disposition of sexual assault crimes out of the chain of command to be handled independently by trained prosecutors. The U.S. should do the same.

TAKE ACTION: Your email message and your call – yes, please also call your senators – could make the critical difference. It is likely to be a close vote and senators need to hear from the grassroots that we demand justice for survivors. It is a broken system that will remain broken unless Congress requires a fundamental reform of the process. Please make that call today: tell them you want an independent, objective and unbiased military justice system that deals promptly and effectively with all reports of sexual crimes.

Action Needed: Please contact President Obama right away and urge him to appoint Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet Yellen to succeed Ben Bernanke as chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. With years of experience at the Fed, an impressive academic resume, and a comprehensive view of the American economy, Yellen clearly is the best person for the job — male or female. But in addition, she would be the first woman Fed Chair and provide better gender balance to the circle of the president's top advisers — something that is sorely missing in his second administration.

It is now being reported that President Obama will not make this decision until fall — but please register your views with him now. He needs to know that women are watching this particular appointment very closely because the campaign against Yellen has been deplorably sexist.

In addition, urge the president not to appoint Lawrence Summers to this post. Summers' deregulatory zeal contributed directly to the Bush-era economic crash. Summers cannot be trusted to lead an institution that can do great good — but also great harm — to the economy overall and to women's economic security in particular. Moreover, his supporters have mounted a sexist effort to discredit Yellen by saying she lacks "toughness," is short on "gravitas" and is too "soft-spoken" or "passive." These demeaning pronouncements are of a piece with Summers' own history of misogyny — as president of Harvard he opined that women might lack an "intrinsic aptitude" for science and engineering. In short, Summers is simply the wrong person, male or female, to lead the Fed.

Use our formatted message at the end of this alert or write one of your own, but please speak out on behalf of all women and their families trying to recover from a deep and harmful recession!

Keep our reproductive rights out of this man’s hands!
Rep. Trent Franks' (R-Ariz.) nationwide 20-week abortion ban passed the House and will now be moving on to the Senate. This dangerous bill would criminalize abortions after 20 weeks and has been amended so that its provisions will apply across all 50 states. Your Senators — pro-choice or not — need to hear from you so that we can preserve women's rights and lives. Please sign the petition below!

Keep our reproductive rights out of this man’s hands!
Rep. Trent Franks' (R-Ariz.) nationwide 20-week abortion ban passed the House and will now be moving on to the Senate. This dangerous bill would criminalize abortions after 20 weeks and has been amended so that its provisions will apply across all 50 states. Your Senators — pro-choice or not — need to hear from you so that we can preserve women's rights and lives. Please sign the petition below!

TAKE ACTION — Send your message to the Senate now. Demand that a floor vote on S. 967 be scheduled and urge your senators — both Democrats and Republicans — to vote for this bill. Tell them that you will be watching closely as to whether they will vote to protect sexual assault survivors and make this necessary reform that will truly bring about military justice.

Urge your senator to support the Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act (S. 897)! Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) recently introduced this bill with the goal of offering students the same low interest rates that big banks pay.

Keep our reproductive rights out of this man’s hands!
Rep. Trent Franks' (R-Ariz.) nationwide 20-week abortion ban is close to passing. He recently reintroduced the D.C. Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would outlaw abortions in the District of Columbia after 20 weeks, and has amended it to broaden its coverage so that its provisions will apply across all 50 states. Your representative — pro-choice or not — needs to hear from you so that we can preserve women's rights and lives. Please sign the petition below!

Urge your senator to support the Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act (S. 897)! Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) recently introduced this bill with the goal of offering students the same low interest rates that big banks pay.

NOW is a staunch supporter of everyone's right to marry the person they choose.

That’s why we’re collecting signatures for full marriage equality. It’s time to tell your representatives that Americans should have the freedom to marry the person they love, no matter their sexual orientation.

Thank you for lending your voice to those speaking out in favor of marriage equality!

TAKE ACTION: Please send an email message to your senators as soon as possible to urge that they vote for comprehensive legislation requiring background checks on all gun sales and enacting tough new criminal penalties for straw purchasers and gun traffickers.

In addition to reducing this nation's high level of gun violence, NOW believes that these measures will better protect victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, who are often the target of perpetrators with guns. The Senate is expected to vote on a package of firearms-related bills Thursday, April 11, and we need to build pressure on senators who are currently not committed to backing these critically-needed restrictions. Please take action right away.

TAKE ACTION: Please send a message to your representative right away urging support for the Back to Work FY 2014 budget proposed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). This budget plan will truly help women and their families by reducing the federal deficit sensibly and humanely through job creation rather than drastic cuts in social programs.

Tell your representative that you strongly oppose the Republican budget plan, which is a retread of last year's failed Romney-Ryan budget, enhancing tax breaks for corporations and billionaires while sticking it to the most vulnerable -- disproportionately women, especially women of color. Let them know, also, that the Democratic leadership's proposal, while far superior to the Republicans', falls short of the aggressive jobs program we need right now. The CPC's Back to Work proposal is the best of the three.

Votes in the House on the Progressives' Back to Work plan are set to begin on Wednesday (3/20), followed by the Democratic leadership's plan, and then debate and voting on the potentially devastating Ryan budget.

Let's stop the craziness: Tell your House member that the best solution to the current budget crisis is to cancel the sequester right now. H.R. 900, sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), would do just that with one simple sentence that would cancel the sequester and thereby halt $85 billion in disastrous cuts this year to programs on which women and their families disproportionately depend.

Time is short -- the sequester is already in effect, and reductions in federal funding resulting in employee furloughs, reduced services and curtailed programs will soon be felt. Tell your House member to please sponsor, support and vote for Conyers' H.R. 900 "Cancel the Sequester Act." Take action NOW!

President Obama has made a number of high-profile appointments recently -- four at last count, and they are all white men. Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., was in line to follow Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. The right wing unjustly smeared Rice, and despite the efforts of NOW and allied women's organizations, she was pushed aside and replaced with a white male nominee. And now we hear that Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis is leaving her post. Who will be her replacement?

Write to President Obama today and urge him to appoint more women to his cabinet and other top posts. We need women, particularly women of color, in high-level positions in our federal government. A great place to start is the chair of the Federal Communications Commission -- a position that will be open soon and has never been held by a woman.

Women have made great strides in government, but we need a critical mass to really make a difference. Now is not the time to go back.

Action Needed:
Congress still has not reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act. If Congress fails to pass VAWA in this "lame duck" session, we will have to start all over again with the new Congress in January. Even more concerning is the possibility of sequestration, or the Budget Control Act's ability to slash funds across the federal budget, including funds set aside for survivors. If Congress fails to pass a new budget, sequestration will result in nearly 200,000 fewer victims receiving lifesaving and cost-effective services. There is very little time left for this Congress to take action on VAWA.

Please call your House member, and tell her/him that it is critical that the Senate version (S. 1925) of the Violence Against Women Act be passed before the 112th Congress adjourns and that funding for VAWA programs should not be cut in the negotiations over the so-called "fiscal cliff." House Speaker John Boehner needs to schedule a floor vote as soon as possible. Please send your message NOW.

It's never been more important to get the truth out about what's at stake for women in the elections. Exercising our right to vote is crucial! NOW/PAC has endorsed the Obama-Biden ticket and scores of pro-women candidates for the U.S. Senate and House. But only with your help can we ensure that our champions are elected!

Every single voice makes a difference in these last few weeks leading up to the elections. A Nov. 6 victory starts with you! Whether you plan to vote early, absentee or on Election Day, please affirm your commitment to the issues you care about by signing our voter pledge today.

It's never been more important to get the truth out about what's at stake for women in the elections. Exercising our right to vote is crucial! NOW/PAC has endorsed the Obama-Biden ticket and scores of pro-women candidates for the U.S. Senate and House. But only with your help can we ensure that our champions are elected!

Every single voice makes a difference in these last few weeks leading up to the elections. A Nov. 6 victory starts with you! Whether you plan to vote early, absentee or on Election Day, please affirm your commitment to the issues you care about by signing our voter pledge today.

Call for Passage of Real VAWA -- All Victims and Survivors Deserve Protection

July 20, 2012

Take Action:
Please call AND email your member of Congress right away, and urge him or her to oppose the victim-shaming, perp-shielding House version of the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, and support the inclusive, bipartisan Senate version of this lifesaving legislation. Time is slipping away, so please make those calls and send those emails right away!

Stop D.C. 20-Week Abortion Ban

May 16, 2012

TAKE ACTION:
Radicals in the House of Representatives are poised to host a hearing on a dangerous new abortion ban for the District of Columbia. Sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), H.R. 3803 and its Senate companion would ban abortion care at 20 weeks in Washington, D.C., imposing penalties and/or jail time on doctors who provide this necessary health care, even those stepping in to preserve a woman's health. Tell your representatives to oppose the D.C. 20-Week Abortion Ban.

Thank you for your generous donation. Your continued support is critical.

As the right wing escalates its assault on abortion rights and other vital reproductive health services, it's critical to recognize the courage and commitment of the grassroots activists who are fighting on the front lines against the powerful personhood movement. They can use your Pledge as a demonstration of support in the field. Please sign the pledge below.

Thank you for your generous donation. Your continued support is critical.

As the right wing escalates its assault on abortion rights and other vital reproductive health services, it's critical to recognize the courage and commitment of the doctors, clinic staff, volunteer escorts and others who are fighting on the frontlines to defend women's reproductive freedom. Please sign the pledge below.

We won't stand for sexists like Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia interpreting women's rights as unprotected in the U.S. Constitution. In a recent interview, Scalia erroneously stated that women are not protected under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. Right now, five justices have the power to pick and choose when women should be considered full citizens. And that's not right.

On Jan. 6 Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) stood with NOW and women's rights advocates outside the Capitol to call for putting women into the Constitution. Watch now and sign the petition to stand with them.

Groups like Operation Save America and Operation Rescue use intimidation tactics to scare away women from exercising their right to obtain abortion care. They also aim to drive out of business those clinics that provide the full range of reproductive health services. These groups encourage a climate of harassment and violence against abortion providers and patients. In this hostile environment, anti-abortion rights zealots have turned to vandalism, arson, assault and murder to get their way.

By signing this petition, you will send a message that these actions are an organized form of terrorism that must stop.

Women across the country have lost a true champion. The cold-blooded murder of Dr. George Tiller in church is a stark reminder that women's bodies are still a battleground, and health care professionals are on the frontlines. We are angered. We are saddened. And we will not be silenced.

We must redouble our efforts to maintain safe and legal access to abortion and birth control. When you sign this pledge, you can choose to send a message to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security and let them know that the murder and intimidation of abortion providers is domestic terrorism.